Crystal River current. [volume] (Crystal, Colo.) 1886-18??, 1887-09-03
A Trip Down Yule Greek.

Elk Mountain Pilot which is Of in
terest to the miners of Yule creek
and these parts:
"Your correspondent left Crested
Butte on Wednesday the Gath, and
after a very hard trip over a very bad
trail,succeeded in reaching the scene
of the new mining excitement on
Yule creek. At the point where the
trail crosses the divide near the head
waters of Slate river the formation
changes from shale and slate on the
southern slope to lime, ,quartzite and
diorite on the northern side. It is
in the lime and quartzite formation
where the new strike is located as
we'll as number of other mines,
such as the Justice and Knight
property, the Pacific lode and sew
eral others.
We did not have time to see Or
visit a number of very good looking
locations near the head Of Yule
creek, but continued our trip down
to where the Hanlon Bros. are
camped. The distance from the
head of the creek to their mine is
Eve miles. The new strike is con-
tact vein between marble and quartz
ite, marble being the hanging wall
and quartzite the foot wall. The
vein is about three feet in thickness
and the ore an iron carbonate, car
rying gold, silver and lead. The
average value being, as I am told,
about $500, principally gold. From
the amount of development on the
property it is hard to determine at
present what it will amount to. One
thing may be safely assumed, Mr..
Hanlon has an excellent prospect
in an excellent mineral formation.
Close to Hanlon Bros. camp 1
found that genial old timer, Joe
Barnes, and his partner Bennett,
also Phil Pratt, the man who made
the first location on Aspen noun
tain. I think Mr.. Pratt's presence
a good Indication of the value Of this
new mineral field, and from the
character Of the formation and the
mineral found therein 1 predict a
valuable mineral section.
From Mr.. Hanlon's camp I pro-
ceeded down Yule creek to where
it empties into Crystal River, and
on our way saw one Of the prettiest
sights the eye of human being ever
rested upon. Marble walls hun
dreds of feet thickIenclosing stream
of Crystal water. Marble as white
as snow in blocks several feet
square laying alongside Of the
trail. Lower Crystal river, or in
fact all Of that section that is tribu-
tary to it, is in a state Of useless in
activity This state of affairs is not
owing to lack of mineral, or that
the ore is not of a sufficient grade,
but is owing to the fact that most all
the best mines are patented, and the
owners, who live in the east and lei
their property remain idle, while
the few poor men who have unboun-
ded faith in the country, and l be-
lieve their faith is we'll founded
keep doing as much as their limited
means will allow, while those who
have means to develop their prop
erty await the results of the hard
labor Of others. This is a good sub
iect for our law makers to take hold
| of, and as soon as some measure is
enacted taxing the owners of patent
ed mines this state Of affairs will
cease.
Crystal river and the mining coun-
try adjacent to it ought to produce
500 tons of ore per day and give en-
ployment to 1000 miners, and thu
time is not far distant when sucl
will be the case.
It is the same old story of mine
experience, Some poor devil of {
prospector will come along, strik'
it big in one of the numerous guleh
es around Crystal river, and ther'
will be a boom. Capital will be
come interested in the country pros
poets that are now idle will becom
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